Dooling Adds A Spark

He will forever be remembered for a dunk in college at Missouri, when he leaped over Kansas' Ashante Johnson. The play made just about every highlight show.

"I went to Missouri this summer and people there remember like it was yesterday," Dooling said. "People are always going to talk about that."

But Dooling hopes fans will now have memories that are fresher, like the ones he would like to have playing for the Heat. He received significant minutes for the first time in Tuesday night's 103-93 victory over the Wizards at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Dooling, who played at Cardinal Gibbons and Dillard, scored eights points and had five assists in 18 minutes. He had played just six minutes and had one field-goal attempt before Tuesday.

"I've had a few [NBA] highlights, but they've all been kind of under the radar," said Dooling, who spent four seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. "Hopefully I can get a few more here."

Dooling provided a spark with his quickness when he entered in the second quarter with the Heat ahead by five.

With guard point guard Dwyane Wade on the bench with two fouls, he scored on two layups, a breakaway dunk and ran the offense when the Heat took control. Miami led by 13 at halftime.

"I thought his energy really got us going in that quarter," coach Stan Van Gundy said. "There's no way we would've been up double figures at the end of the half without him. I thought he gave us a good lift."

Dooling, who has averaged six points a game for his career, showed aggressiveness throughout with his shot selection. He hit 4 of 10 field goals. But Dooling said scoring can't be his function on a team with Shaquille O'Neal and Wade.

"My role is to bring energy, play defense and push the tempo," Dooling said. "No, I definitely don't want to send the message that I'm a scorer because that's not my role. We have Shaquille and [Wade] for that. But I'm not going to hesitate to shoot when I'm out there."

The 4-0 start to the season has been quite the change for Dooling after playing with the Clippers, one of the league's worst franchises.

"We've only played a few games here, so it's too early to tell that things are going to be different," Dooling said. "We're 4-0, and I've never been 4-0 in my career, so that's a start."